Iran executed at least 29 individuals Wednesday, including a group of 26 men in a single prison, according to Norway-based Iran Human Rights. This mass execution occurred just a day after Iran faced international backlash for executing a man connected to the 2022 protests.
Iran Human Rights reported that 26 men were hanged in Ghezelhesar Prison near Tehran, while three others were executed in Karaj’s city prison. The execution included two Afghan nationals convicted of crimes such as murder, drug offenses, and rape.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency and the Center for Human Rights in Iran corroborated the reports, confirming that at least 24 people were executed in Karaj.
Iran’s violation of human rights
Human rights organizations frequently criticize Iran for its high rate of executions, second only to China. They argue that Iran uses the death penalty broadly to create fear, especially following the 2022 protests.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of Iran Human Rights, warned, “Without an immediate response from the international community, hundreds of individuals could become victims of the Islamic Republic’s killing machine in the coming months.” He noted that such a large-scale execution had not been seen in Iran since 2009.
Human rights advocates also denounced Iran’s execution of Gholamreza Rasaei, convicted of killing a Revolutionary Guard during the 2022 protests. Activists claim his confession was extracted under torture. Rasaei, a Kurdish ethnic minority member and Yarsan faith follower, was secretly executed in Kermanshah, with his family forced to bury him in a distant location, Amnesty International reported.
Amnesty’s Diana Eltahawy criticized the execution as “abhorrent and arbitrary,” describing it as part of Iran’s strategy to use the death penalty for political repression.
France and the US condemned Rasaei’s execution, emphasizing their opposition to the death penalty. IHR revealed that Rasaei’s claims of torture-induced confessions were ignored in court.
Since President Masoud Pezeshkian took office last week, Iran has executed at least 345 people this year, according to IHR. Amiry-Moghaddam accused Iran of exploiting international focus on tensions with Israel to intensify domestic repression.
